Mass Christmas
by Redi Chalyn
Summary: The crew members of the Normandy SR-2 celebrate Christmas, in a very traditional yet Mass Effect style. Merry Christmas to everyone!


Gem Shepard sat on the couch in her cabin, looking over a datapad halfheartedly. She sighed, knowing that on Earth the resistance would be trying to celebrate Christmas, even in the small ways they could find. She didn't notice when her cabin door slid open, admitting a handsomely scarred turian wearing civies holding an old fashioned glass bottle like the ones in museums on Earth. She only noticed him when he was sitting next to her, pulling the datapad from her hands and drawing her attention elsewhere. She smiled at him, the light not reaching her eyes. Garrus touched her soft face with his free hand, caressing her cheek gently. "In all the years I've known you, I've never seen you look this worn, Shepard. What's wrong?"

Gem sighed, rubbing her head. "It's nothing, just..." she shook her head. "It'll be Christmas in a few days."

Garrus's mandibles fluttered. "Christmas? The human holiday where you give everyone gifts and dress up in odd outfits?" He thought a moment. "Come to think of it, I seem to remember you having this odd looking tree on the original Normandy. Where is it now?"

"I don't know, Garrus. It doesn't matter-we have more important things to worry about."

"Like hell we do, Gem." Gem looked up at him when he said her first name. "There may be a war going on, but everyone deserves a little time off. Even you."

"But-"

Garrus hushed her easily and set the bottle down on the table, pulling her up. "Come on. We'll be docking at the Citadel shortly I'm sure, and we'll see about this Christmas business."

Gem shook her head, smirking as she went with him to the elevator. "Garrus, no one else will be doing anything."

Garrus looked at her, his mandibles flaring in his way of smiling. "We've made careers out of doing what no one else does." He thought a moment. "So, what exactly do you do for Christmas?"

Gem and Garrus walked through the Presidium Commons, looking at all the various shop consoles as Gem explained the purpose of gift giving to her turian boyfriend. He didn't understand it completely, but she seemed happier with something jovial to occupy her thoughts, so he considered it a win. They came across Joker as they were trying to figure out something for Liara, and the pilot seemed to instantly know what was going on. "Oh hey you guys doing some Christmas shopping too? Hey Garrus y'know, if you're wondering something to give Gem you could take that stick out of your ass and...y'know what never mind I need your help with something."

Gem laughed and waved Garrus off. "You boys have fun. By the way, where's EDI?"

Joker rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh she's...I'm not really sure she's probably analyzing people or something."

Gem laughed as the two left and she transferred some credits for a VI memory upgrade.

When they were relatively alone, Joker and Garrus stopped. Joker looked up at the turian nervously. "Okay so um...I know that Christmas is a human thing and all so you probably don't get it but..."

"Joker, I'm dating a human," Garrus pointed out bemused.

"Right, right it's just...I don't really know what to get EDI. I mean, she has a human body, sort of, and she studies humans but...what do you give someone who never wants anything?"

If Joker wasn't so clearly distressed over the idea, Garrus would have laughed. As it was, he thought about it. "Have you looked at different AI upgrades?"

"Yeah she said before though that what she already had was better. I want it to be personal anyway. Hey, what are you getting Shepard?"

Garrus's mandibles fluttered and he looked around nervously, realizing he had no idea what to get his own girlfriend. "I, uh, haven't decided yet."

"Oh man, well at least I'm not the only one who can't figure this out." Joker sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not sure who'd be harder to pick something out for honestly."

Garrus grunted. "Guess we're the lucky ones then. Come on we'll look around and see if we can find something. EDI likes comedy, doesn't she?" The two walked off, both trying to figure out what to get their girlfriends.

Gem was looking over some weapon mods when James approached her. "Hey there, Lola. Need some new specs for your gun?"

"No, just looking for some Christmas presents. What about you, Vega?"

"Oh shit, Christmas is in a couple, right." He slapped his forehead, sighing. "This is loco-it's always been my favorite."

"Mine too, till recently." Gem stood back from the console and looked at James.

"Back on Earth I used to go to my Nana's when I was a kid. She'd bake these amazing cookies, I swear no one could ever make them like her." He smirked, looking as though he could almost taste the sweet delicacies.

Gem laughed. "Yeah, I grew up on an alliance ship but every year my mom would put a tree in her cabin. It wasn't very big, but she always found a way to make room and she'd always let me pick one present on Christmas Eve."

James nodded. "Sounds nice, Lola. So, you thinkin' of something like that for the Normandy?"

Gem sighed. "I don't know, Vega. There's a war going on, but yeah I think we can swing something. Only non humans we have know about Christmas from the original Normandy. Not sure if they'll remember it."

James laughed. "Oh, you leave that to me, Lola." He glanced at the store she'd been browsing. "Hey, if you're looking for something for Garrus, leave the gun mods out of it. He's got enough of those, yeah?"

Gem nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

James smirked. "Anytime, Lola." He walked off, leaving Gem smirking too as she returned to her shopping.

Christmas Eve found the Normandy SR-2 bustling with excitement and smelling suspiciously of egg nog and some equally potent turian drink. Everyone was relieved from their stations for the night to celebrate the human holiday, even the non humans who seemed to understand the reasoning if not the purpose. Someone had found a holo of a traditional Christmas tree, and there were mounds of parcels stacked around its base. As if by some inborn que, the gifts were passed around to their designated recipients and the great unwrapping began, shreds of paper flying around (though Liara was very neat with her unwrapping, as though she wished to keep the pretty paper). Ken laughed and held up a bottle of Scotch, Gabby smiling softly with a light blush to her cheeks. Tali could be heard sniffing as she held a datapad in her hands with a blueprint for a home on it, Shepard and Garrus looking at eachother with smiles. James said nothing as he held a cookie in his hand, several more in the bag on his lap. He looked at Gem and smiled softly, nodding. Joker laughed as he and EDI discovered they'd gotten eachother the same thing: a copy of the newest comedy vid that was popular.

Gem stood, clinking her wine glass to draw everyone's attention after all the presents had been unwrapped. "I know not everyone here understands what Christmas is all about, but this is going to go down as possibly the best Christmas party I've ever been a part of. Thank you so much for coming with me on this journey, whether you're new to the Normandy or remember the original burning. I gotta say, I can't imagine going into hell with a finer crew than who's before me now. Merry Christmas!" Everyone raised their glasses, Karen Chakwas's glass filled with Serice Ice Brandy. Eventually, the crowd dispersed to different rooms, Joker and EDI returning to the cockpit to watch the vid in private. Gem and Garrus went to her cabin to finish off the night together, but there was one more surprise.

As the doors slid open, Gem pulled her hair out of its barrettes quickly and smoothly while Garrus went to the couch. Gem sat down beside him, smiling and resting her hand on his leg. "Well Garrus, it's been a hell of a ride. And that was one hell of a party."

"It's not over yet, Gem." Gem looked over to find that Garrus was holding a mid sized parcel, wrapped in an odd fashion with actual tape and she realized he'd used traditional pretty paper from Earth, though how he'd gotten it was a mystery. She smiled and handed him a parcel of her own, sensing that they'd both had the same idea to exchange their gifts privately. She opened her gift carefully, gasping in delight as she pulled out a teddy bear, just like when she'd been a child with her fluffy to sleep with. She looked over with tears in her eyes and saw that Garrus was having a similar reaction to the book of turian fables and fairy tales. They embraced and held eachother close, both thinking about when they were smaller and had cherished their own book and teddy bear, feeling so safe. Now they could die the very next day, and chances were slim they'd survive the war at all, but Gem had spoken truly when she'd said that this Christmas would go down as the best she'd ever had.

_Merry Christmas, everyone!_


End file.
